Minimum Engine Clean prior to Teardown?

[craig.wilson1]

Definitely a newbie question here...
I've got a 1979 911SC with at least one broken head stud and a stripped hole for the SAI injection port in one of the heads. I'm planning on keeping the work scope to a minimum and won't be splitting the case. I'm now at the stage where I'm ready to remove the cam chain housings.
I'm assuming(?) that I can take the engine apart in it's current "dirty" condition and get after the cleaning once the chain housings, cam boxes/heads and P&Cs are removed. I'm a little concerned that some of the accumulated grime/dirt over the last 40+ years could get into the case when I start removing the cylinders.
I don't have a steam cleaner and live in "the water shed" so oily water runoff down my driveway is not an option.
Hoping for advice on how and when to go about the cleaning process, hoping I can take things apart before cleaning...
I've attached a couple of pictures showing the areas I'm concerned about.

[bigel]

Nice job getting after it and pulling the engine as a neophyte.

Take your time and don’t get worked up while you move forward with your project.

My journey with an ‘87 Targa with several broken head studs is documented on the forum.

It’s great to work on these air cooled engines.

And to answer your question…yes, you can take apart the engine dirty. Do clean it before reassembling it however.

Good luck!

[wazzz]

Since you have easy access to the top of the engine where most of the oily stuff is, I would first use several cans of brake cleaner and a lot of rags to remove as much of this grime before starting the tear down.

[Showdown]

Try to scrape, scoop and wire brush off as much of the thick stuff before adding cleaner- once you start thinning the oil and trim out, it will run down into every nook and cranny…

[A930Rocket]

Maybe it’s just me, but I clean everything before I work on it. I would have sprayed some kind of degreaser on it and then gently pressure washed it.

[shoooo32]

A pressure washer is pretty messy - the pressure necessary to remove grime blows the gunk everywhere and usually places you don't want it.

I've had better luck with citrus degreaser, cheap dishwashing brushes from Ikea, and a steamer. It's not nearly as messy as there's not a ton of water used to make steam.

[Showdown]

Ditto what Tony said about steam. Get a cheap steam machine online- it does wonders.

[OsoMoore]

I used break/carb cleaner from Harbor Freight and many of their $3 brush sets.
You will need more cans than you think, buy a lot!

[Dpmulvan]

I have a steam cleaner, very slow and messy it sits on a shelf.

[Magyar Kiwi]

Hi
Suggest you scrape off the baked on grime with a plastic scraper.
Then do final clean up with brake cleaner, kerosene or similar and lots of rags or paper towels.
Then proceed with any strip down which exposes the inside of the engine.
If the dirt / grime is not there it can't get inside the block.
Cheers

[craig.wilson1]

Really appreciate the responses, thanks all!

[A930Rocket]

That’s why I said gently pressure wash. You can pressure wash and clean what you want without it getting everywhere. Besides, you’re doing it outside, right?😂

[Gonbad]

If you can move it I would take it to a dry ice blasting shop. Worth every penny.